VISUAL ACUITY RECORDING AND MAL-PRACTICE

Abstract

Visual acuity recording is an essential step in any patient attending an ophthalmology clinic. Sometimes it can not be done as in young children. In other cases, it is not helpful in the diagnoses, but it may create a medicolegal consideration later on. The study evaluated the files attending my clinic first two weeks of September 2025, whom were seen previously. File number, sex, age at first presentation, number of previous visits were recorded. Recording of visual acuity at first visit and the number visual acuity recording at previous visits, diagnosis and any excuse not to record visual acuity were also recorded. Fifty records were studied. In nineteen cases the visual acuity were not recorded in the first visit, seven out of them the visual acuity were never recorded. Four out of the seven were suffering from refractive error. Visual acuity recording is essential for every patient to reach proper diagnosis, accurate follow up and to avoid medicolegal mistakes.